The Five Lakes Film Festival attracted around 14,000 visitors in the second Corona year, just as many as in the first.
They saw more than 150 films from all over the world.
Even if the bad weather ruined some open-air performances, festival director Helwig is very satisfied.
District - "Everything is not always measured in numbers," says Matthias Helwig. They are so important for a festival director like him, a real yardstick, also in comparison to the competition. In 2019, Helwig celebrated a new audience record at his Fünf-Seen-Filmfestival (FSFF) in the district: 21,000 visitors. And then Corona came. But despite the adverse conditions, the FSFF still attracted 14,000 visitors in 2020. A number that the organizers have now reported for the 15th edition, which ended on Tuesday evening with the award ceremony. “A lot of people came together to experience the cinema,” said Helwig yesterday, the day after. That is the main thing for him in these times.
More than 150 films, around 100 film guests, including from Austria, Switzerland, Greece and France, a film talk by the lake with Senta Berger and Michael Herbig, the awarding of the Hannelore Elsner Prize to the much-celebrated Austrian actress Birgit Minichmayr Lively opening evening with 500 guests in the Starnberg seaside resort: Overall, Helwig can list many highlights from the past 14 days. His balance is positive. "Despite the difficult conditions caused by Corona and the completely rainy open-air cinema, we were able to achieve a great result." Financially, "everything is in the green". They had already calculated in advance that there would be a little fewer visitors. Due to the corona, the organizers were ultimately only able to hold 30 to a maximum of 60 percent of the seats in the Starnberg, Gauting,Occupy Seefeld and Weßling.
The films “The Wedding Tailor of Athens”, “The Unyielding”, “The Father”, “Aware - A Journey into Consciousness” and “The Rose Garden of Madame Vernet” did particularly well.
The two performances of “Welcome to the Hartmanns” with the star guest Senta Berger were also in demand.
Yesterday Helwig still wrote accounts and delegated his employees to dismantle.
"And now I have to take care of the cinemas again," said the 61-year-old.
Everyday business is calling - with the 3G rule.
In this context, the cinema boss has already stated: "For some it goes too little, for others it goes too far." Despite the adversities, Helwig is firmly convinced that there will be another Five Lakes Film Festival in 2022 will.
"Maybe then it will be summer again in Bavaria."
